Refrigerator door



Feb. 18, 1936. C, A REHUNG 2,031,068

REFRIGERATOR DOOR Filed Nov. 21, 192s E Jr l ifa", l

mi A Z0 Snom/Lio@ ZH/070ML @daling atten-m Patented Feb. 18, 1936 este REFRIGERATOR DOOR Clifford A. Rohling, St.

Paul, Minn., assigner to Seeger Refrigerator Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application November 21, 1928, Serial No. 326,931.

9 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigerator doors wherein it is designed to provide a door having a simple construction which may be easily assembled and when put together forms a door structure with an outer finished enameled surface and an inner enameled surface over the major portion of the inside of the door. A primary feature of my invention is to provide means of." holding the non-metallic frame structure to the outer enameled metal in an effective manner facilitating easy assembly. This structure provides means of making the non-metallic frame in a complete unit and then attaching the same to the outer facing made and provided for the door.

It is also a feature of my invention to provide a particular door structure wherein the outer face of the same is made with an enameled metal covering, an insulating filler or body unit, and an enameled inner covering, the insulating material spacing the inner and outer enameled metal coverings apart so as to prevent the carrying of heat or cold from the outside in or from the inside out when my door is used on the refrigerator.

All of the objects, together with other details and features will be more fully and clearly set forth hereinafter.

In the drawing forming part of this specification:

Figure l is an inside View of my refrigerator I door, a portion of which is broken away.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the insulating frame unit of my door.

Figure 3 is an enlarged 'cross section of the door transversely of the same and a part of which is I broken away.

Figure 4 is a detail cross section of a portion of my door.

In the drawing my door A is designed to be used particularly as a refrigerator door wherein the same is built up with a unit insulating frame B made of wood or other suitable material illustrated in the unit in Figure 2.

rlhe frame B of the door A is adapted to provide a means of insulation between the outer enameled metal facing Il and the inner enameled metal facing I2. The frame B may be made of any suitable insulating material and has its sides I3 and ends ifi connected together by mitered joints or in any other suitable manner. Naturally the frame may be formed of a single piece of a fibrous insulating material. However, it is very practical to use a frame made of wood with the sides I3 and the ends I4 connected together in a unit as illustrated in Figure 2.

After the frame B has been completed and the same is formed with a groove or recess I5 to receive the inner edge I6 of the inner facing I2 or with the shoulder portion Il projecting up from the same to which the inner inturned edge I6 of of the inner facing I2 is attached as illustrated in 5 Figure 4, the frame is then ready to be assembled with the outer facing I I and the inner facing I2. It is important that this assembly of the unit frame B be made easily and in such a manner as to securely hold the unit frame B in position to form a strong sturdy door construction.

I accomplish these results in a simple manner which forms one of the important features of this invention. When the frame B is completed as a unit, as illustrated in Figure 2, one or more finger members I8 are attached by the screws I9 to one of the sides of the unit B. The finger members i8 are formed with an inclined outer free end 2@ which is adapted to engage beneath the inturned marginal edge 2| of the outer facing I I of the door. These fingers I8 have a sufficient spring nature in the inclined end 20 to provide spring finger members to cause one side, such as I3 of the frame B, to be drawn up tightly against the insulating sheet 22 and against the inner face 25-A and the other side I3 of the door frame B is drawn 315 tightly against the inner surface of the outer sheathing II by means of the screws 24 which attach the hardware, such as 25, to the door A.

Thus by means of the spring fingers I8 and the screws 24 I provide a very simple and effective 40?' means of holding the insulating frame B in proper position within the outer facing II. This is an important feature of the invention as it eliminates extra operations and also accomplishes the desired results in a much better manner than heretofore. The spring fingers I8 hold the frame B under tension to the facing II and thus the frame B is always tightly supported within the enameled metal facing II and will not rattle or become loose which is very important in refrigerator doors. It also permits the frame B to be made very sturdy so as to form the body and insulating separator between the members II and I2.

The inner face I2 may be secured as illustrated in Figure 4 by attaching the inturned edge I6 of the inner metal enameled facing I2 to the shoulder I'I of the insulating frame B by the screws 26. Then the molding 2'! may be attached over the edge IB and the screws 26 to form an outer edge over the inwardly extending edge I6 of the inner plate I2. This construction is fully illustrated in Figure 4 and by using the spring fingers I8 the frame B is held firmly and tight within the outer facing II. The attachment of the inner face plate I2 assists in providing a rigid door construction to brace the frame B and any suitable insulating material may be used Within the frame B and inside of the inner face plate I2 to provide the proper insulation to the body of the door A when it is complete.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my door structure and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof it should be borne in mind that obvious changes can be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the purpose and intent of the invention.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator door including, an outer metal facing having an inturned marginal edge, an insulating frame adapted to fit in said door, and spring fingers carried by said frame adapted to engage beneath said marginal edge to hold said frame under spring tension within said outer metal facing.

2. A refrigerator door including, an insulating frame member, spring fingers carried by said frame member, an outer metal facing for said door, an inturned edge formed on said facing adapted to be engaged by said spring fingers to hold one side of said door tightly against the inner surface of said outer facing, and means for attaching the other side of said door by the screws holding the hardware to the outer metal facing of said door.

3. A refrigerator door including, an outer and inner metal facing, an insulating unit frame, and means for securing said frame to; said outer facing by spring engaging members on one side, and the members supporting the hardware on the other side of said inner facing being attached to said frame.

4. A refrigerator door comprising, an insulating unit frame, inner and outer metal face plates for said frame, fingers secured to said frame and engaging said outer facing to secure said frame to` said outer facing along one side, and means for holding the other side tightly in engagement with said outer facing along another side to rigidly support said frame on said outer facing, and means for supporting said inner facing on said frame.

5. A refrigerator door including, an outer facing, an insulating unit frame, and means for attaching said frame to said outer facing including fingers carried by said frame and engaging said outer facing, and means for holding a side of said frame remote from said fingers iixedly against said outer facing.

6. A refrigerator door comprising, a unit rectangular insulating frame, fingers carried by one side of said frame, an outer metal sheathing for said frame having an inturned marginal edge, said frame being attached to said outer sheathing by said ngers engaging under said marginal edge on one side, and the other side of said frame being held tightly against the inner surface of said outer sheathing by the attachment of the hardware thereto, and an inner metal sheathing adapted to cover the major portion of the inner surface of said door and supported by said frame.

7. A door including an insulating frame, an outer metal sheathing for said door, hook-like spring means on one side of said frame adapted to securely engage one side of said sheathing, and means for holding the other side of said frame in tight engagement with the other side of said sheathing.

8. In combination, a door construction of the class described, including an exterior sheathing plate formed with an inturned edge constituting a channel, a backing unit constructed to iit against said sheathing plate inside said inturned edge, a member projecting from said backing unit at the free side of the door into the adjacent channel formed by the edge of the sheathing when the sheathing and backing are placed together, the opposite side of the door unit being freely swingable into position against the sheathing plate, supporting hinges for said door, and means passing through said supporting hinges and sheathing plate into the swingable side of said door unit, for the purpose set forth.

9. A door construction of the class described, including an exterior sheathing plate formed with an inturned edge, constituting a channel, a backing unit constructed to fit against said sheathing plate inside said inturned edge, a metal member projecting outwardly from said backing unit at the free side of the door into the channel formed by the adjacent inturned edge of the sheathing plate, the opposite side of the door unit being freely swingable past the adjacent inturned edge of the sheathing plate against the rear face of said sheathing plate, supporting hinges, and means passing through said hinges and into the side of the backing unit opposite the side of the unit carrying the metal member.

CLIFFORD A. REHLING. 

